Heart
by Simone Robinson
Summary: "- It didn't mean anything. It was a kiss and nothing more. It didn't mean anything.   It was just a kiss.-" Comrades? Where do the boundaries of love blur? It's Kakashi's birthday.


**A few snippets ****revolving around this date were written tonight, ranging from humor to something more angsty. I did not get round to editing anything though. But I wanted to post at least one tonight. Editing can always be done later. A short piece, this one.**

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><p><strong>H <strong>e a r t

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><p>It didn't mean anything. It was a kiss and nothing more. It didn't mean anything.<br>It was just a kiss; abet a passionate, heated kiss against the grimy ally wall, with her body pressed so damn close to him, and it felt so good that his mind could barely wrap around it. He'd never imagined that she would feel this good.

Not her. Not sweet, innocent Rin. Not the toughened teammate who he'd fought with side by side for years. Not the girl who he had cried, lost and fought with.

It didn't mean anything.

Her hair was soft, and smelt good. In general her entire presence smelled really, really good. Like jasmine, with the barest hint of sandalwood. There wasn't the barest trace of alcohol on her, and it was a nice change from the girls he would usually hook up with.

No alcohol. He pulled her closer, pressing his lips closer to hers. Feeling her respond, he breathed in her scent again, unable to get it out of his head. It was fresh. No alcohol. That would be right.

Why was everything coming to him so slowly? Had he drank too much? No he wouldn't have done that. He was a Shinobi. He wouldn't drink too much. Just like her. She hadn't touched a drop all night. This would mean she was sober. So she knew exactly what she was doing. So this _meant_ something to her.

Crap.

He pulled away sharply, his hands pressing back against her shoulders.

"Kakashi-kun?"

She looked confused, hurt even. Or maybe that was just the sake talking. He was pretty sure he'd had too much now, which would probably explain why he felt so sick. His eyes couldn't focus either, maybe that was why she was so blurry at the edges, sort of like in a dream.

Maybe that was it; he'd just imagined this whole thing. It would be a lot easier to deal with.

He could deal with that. Maybe he was just another jonin rank ninja who hallucinated, who had gone crazy. That was fine, no problem, he could handle that. But if he was the type of man who could let a girl down, let a teammate down in the lowest, dirtiest of ways, that he couldn't handle.

His gut twisted with self-disgust. What did she see in him?

She had moved closer, one hand sliding through his hair. He caught her palm, bringing it slowly down.

"No."

At least his voice was steady; he'd half expected his composure to fall away completely at the widening of her eyes.

"W-what?"

But Kakashi just turned. He couldn't look at her. After a moment of silence, he slipped off into the night.

He wasn't running away. He couldn't be. Kakashi never ran away.

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><p>It wasn't long before he trudged to the bridge. The bridge where the moonlight seemed to kiss the waters with the tenderest of caresses. The moon shone bright. Not bright enough to illuminate the darkness, but bright enough for him to turn his eyes away.<p>

She was sitting there. Just like he had known she would be. They came there often. To think. To sit in silence. He wondered if she'd been crying. He didn't really expect it. Not Rin. Not the girl, no, the woman, who held his heart in her hands. And he didn't know it. Didn't want to know it. His teammate. Friend. Something more? He didn't know.

It didn't matter. Through the cold ice of his eyes, emotions bubbled fiercely. She'd been the only one to ever see it. Her and Minato. And Gai. But they didn't matter right now.

He slumped beside her and took in s single breath of the air she breathed. Took in a breath of her.

Rin turned to him like nothing had ever happened. She took her hair from where it had been scooped back from her face, secured in a short, messy pony tail, a few loose tendrils spilled around her face. She grinned as it fell loose and free, into the short bangs around her face, the moonlight radiating off her skin. She shook her head, running a hand through the strands, and for a moment, Kakashi could see the bitterness in her eyes, "Brings back memories, huh?"

Kakashi tilted his head back and gazed into the night, "That it does."

Neither of them spoke again. It had been like that for a long time. There was so much to be shared between them. So much to be said. Yet they rarely spoke.

"Comrades." Rin murmured beneath her breath. Kakashi gave a silent nod. The word encompassed so much. A tribute to the friends lost. The teammates. A perfect explanation of what they were. Comrades. Friends. Something more?

Yes. Something much more.

He entwined his hand with hers.

Neither of them spoke. Neither of them moved. But it was as if a jolt had passed between them. Without a word, Rin rested her head against his shoulder. He squeezed her hand in a gesture that was almost tender.

"Happy Birthday, Kakashi."

And, for the first time in many years, Kakashi smiled at those words.

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><p><strong>Happy birthday Hatake Kakashi.<strong>


End file.
